Get in that way back machine. No not that one. That way, way, way back machine. Because we’re going back in time before mankind knew of color or sound.
We have often referred to our current time as the New Golden Age of horror. Which inevitably begs the question… what was the first Golden Age? For that, The Scariest Things is looking to DEFINE what the eras of horror are. When did it start? When does it end? And what are the high points of the era? In Episode XXII we set out to start at the very beginning, in the silent era… the dawn of the First Golden Age of Horror. Some might think that it starts in the 1930’s, but we are going to suggest that it all starts in the silent film era. I know, weird, right? No color. No sound. No answering machines. No cuisinarts. No Mr. Coffee. No nothin’. And good money says… you haven’t watched these films!
But please don’t equate the Jazz Age as a non-scary time in film history — cuz’ it wasn’t. Oh no. And we’re not talking about Birth of a Nation because that was plenty scary (…in the wrong way), and it was from 1915. The 1920s were cram-packed with some horrifying icons, actors (with a capital A), and some scenes that were so terrifying they’re still burrowed deep in to our unevolved little reptile brains. Whether it was the heavy hitters — Nosferatu, the Phantom of the Opera, or Der Golem — or the more off-the-beaten-path fair like Haxan or the Fall of the House of Usher, the Golden Age had some spooks, chills, creeps, and HORROR!
Jump start that way back machine and join us as we dissect the beginning of the Golden Age of Horror, and establish the benchmark for all horror films that followed.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed